~ Chapter 37: Breaking the limits (Part 2) ~

The spell was something only the highest priests on the continent knew how to use. It produced a powerful light attack aimed at what the mortals perceived as darkness or rather demonic magic. While it did require the permission of a god to learn it, in truth, it was actually just an Emperor Rank buff type of magic with a focus on light rather than shadow. Since my body was sensible to the first and highly resistant to the latter, it meant that I could be heavily weakened by it.

If I wasn’t a half dungeon or a demon queen, I might not have even been able to move at all. It could even stop the heart of a lower demon. That sort of thing was used only against demonic armies or undead hordes. To use it all on a single demon was considered both wasteful and illogical. It was an overkill against a lower one, but against powerful demons like me, it only lowered our strength greatly for a short period of time. Dankyun was getting desperate it seemed.

“I told you I would kill you, Nanya…” he said with a big grin and twisted his sword.

“AAAH!” I screamed in pain as I felt my rib cage getting ripped apart, and my red blood gushing out from the gaping wound.

“Fear not, demonic swine! Your death shall be seen as a blessing upon these lands.”

We were both bleeding from the wounds we inflicted upon each other, but I was in the worst shape. At least he didn’t stab me right in the heart, but the sharp edge of the blade wasn’t far from it either.

“Y-You will come with me…” I said as I tried to reach for his throat with my clawed hand.

“No.” he slapped my hand away and then pulled the sword out of my chest.

I coughed, and blood flowed from the corners of my mouth. With a powerful kick to my left side, he sent me tumbling on the ground towards Illsy’s crystal body. It hurt so badly I wanted to die, but with the last bit of strength I had, I used my claws to scrap the ground and stop myself before I slammed into him. My spikes and claws could go straight through his armor and accidentally damage him.

I stopped at about 6 meters away from him, but it hurt. It hurt so bad…

Cringing my teeth, I tried to get up or at least cast a buff to self-heal.

My stats weren’t looking good either. The status window showed exactly how bad I was doing.

[Level]: 369

[Strength]: 74

[Agility]: 25

[Intelligence]: 978

[Magic Energy]: 924

[Magic Energy regeneration]: 22.5 points per second

And the points in strength and agility were still going down, Magic Energy as well since my half-dungeon condition forced me to consume it the moment it detected that I suffered from an injury. The same was for my half-demon self. This gaping wound in my chest, however, couldn’t be cured with my current Magic Energy.

Illsy’s [Divine Aura] was also too weak to repair my wounds, but it wasn’t like there was no hope left. If Dankyun somehow vanished from this place, there was a chance for me to survive, but that was highly unlikely.

Curses! Is this how it ends? I thought as I looked through barely opened eyes at Illsy’s green crystal body.

Funny, but I can’t see you responsible for this… You tried your best to stop him, didn’t you, Illsy? I thought and then heard a step next to him.

“Time to die.” he said.

“NO!” shouted Ayuseya.

Despite being told that she was weak, despite holding no power against someone like Dankyun, the draconian woman still tried to attack him. I thought she would be knocked back in a moment, but her punch actually landed a hit and sent Dankyun flying a few meters away.

“Ugh!” he groaned, and the princess knelt beside me.

“Nanya! That wound and all of that blood! What do I do? What do I do?” she started to panic.

There’s nothing you can do, you silly girl… I thought, but I was too weak to speak.

She carefully turned me around with my face up, and I saw the crystal tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

“If only I took those healing classes!” she frowned and started to look around for a place where she could lay me down.

She noticed the small piece of crumbled wall just a few steps away from us and took me there.

Oh yeah! Do I still have that crystal with [Rejuvenation] in it? I asked myself, but the only thing left in the pouch strapped to my left leg was the white one. It must have fallen out somewhere on the ground during my battle.

We both looked back at the draconian who calmly walked towards us. I only saw a scratch on his left cheek. The injury I caused him was gone as well. Judging by how he looked, I immediately understood that he used a healing Spell Crystal right before he got attacked by the princess. Although, Ayuseya had the power to scratch a Supreme? Since when?

“Dankyun, you are a monster!”

“Oh my, don’t be so rude, princess.” he sighed and shook his head.

“Ugh… if only…” I tried to stand, but the wound was terrible.

“If only you had your fully unsealed power. Yes! Yes! Bla bla! It wouldn’t have made a difference, you know?” he interrupted me and smirked.

“Don’t think you won’t pay for what you did here…” said Ayuseya, but before she could finish her words, Dankyun dashed towards us.

Because of my lowered stats, I wasn’t able to see his attack, but it wasn’t me he went for. I blinked, and he was right next to me. The monster’s sword, my sword, was stabbed in Ayuseya’s stomach. Warm blood poured out from the wound, staining her clothes and falling on the ground.

“Princess, for the last time, I don’t give a Merion’s tail about it! Your life, your entire existence is useless and always had been! You aren’t worthy of your title, you aren’t worthy of your people! You are garbage! The only reason I wanted you was to get into the royal family. That’s it! You are lower even than a shikak!” he told her and then pulled the blade out of her.

“No… ugh…” she tried to speak and spat out blood. “You are wrong…” she looked up at him and there was still a spark of fire in her eyes.

“What a pathetic and delusional prin… no, draconian slut!” he then laughed.

“Your words mean nothing to me…”

Although she was holding her wound and barely standing, she didn’t give up on the fight.

“Keh! You bore me.” Dankyun declared and attacked her with a powerful and fast strike, he cut off Ayuseya’s right arm from the shoulder.

She clenched her teeth, but didn’t scream from the pain.

“Just die already!” shouted the draconian annoyed and then rushed over and punched her in the stomach, injuring her even further, but with that last strike, she fell unconscious.

“Now, it’s time for you. Hm, no… on second though, I’ll leave you for the last. I did promise you a slow death, after all!” he laughed. “First, this dungeon core!” he then looked back towards the green crystal.

“Don’t…” I said, but I clenched my jaw. Begging to this monster would only give him pleasure.

There’s nothing we can do… I thought as the last bits of hope left me.

“GAAAH!” screamed Dankyun as soon as he got within 5 meters of Illsy’s core.

The draconian’s armor was shattered in the blink of an eye.

“What in the?” he growled. “What manner of sorcery is this?!” he said annoyed.

Sitting up, he took out another crystal and replenished his Magic Armor again, but this time, he had two more ready to use just in case.

“Well, it won’t matter in a moment.” he said with a smirk on his lips.

He dashed towards the core, and the aura immediately zapped him again, however, at his speed, he was going to stab Illsy before it could kill him.

No… No! I thought and “N-No…” I coughed, spitting out blood.

“DIE!” Dankyun shouted.

“NO!” this time, it was Shanteya.

She stepped in front of the sword and grabbed it with both of her hands. The tip pierced her armor and stabbed her guts, but it didn’t go through.

“No! NO! NOOO! DANKYUN!” shouted Illsy from somewhere far up in the sky.

It’s too late… I thought.

[Illsyore’s point of view]

Speed was of the essence in this struggle, but I was limited only to about 40 km/h. I would reach them in ten minutes or so at that speed, but I knew I had to fly faster.

“COME ON!” I shouted and pushed my invisible form towards those blinking life signs, but I didn’t know how to do it.

I couldn’t do it, but I had to fly faster.

“COME ON! FASTER! FASTER!” I screamed.

I don’t know if it worked or my perception was warped a bit, but those ten minutes turned into far less. I reached the edge of the burning forest and entered the field of ashes and smoke where Dankyun’s Supreme Skill struck the ground.

Flying as fast as I could, I finally got a glimpse of what has happened while I wasn’t there, and what I saw both shocked me and horrified me at the same time.

“What’s this?” I said with a trembling tone of voice.

Nanya was changed and had a gaping wound in her chest. Ayuseya was on the ground, bleeding and with a hand cut off. And Dankyun… Dankyun was rushing towards my body.

No… I thought.

For a moment, I felt like that was it… That was the moment of my death, but then Shanteya came from behind my body and stopped the sword just as it was about to impale me. It happened so fast, I didn’t even notice her. Unfortunately, I also saw the blood staining her clothes and spilling on the charred ground under her. She was injured… Nanya, Ayuseya, and now Shanteya… The three women I tried to protect and save ended up taken away from me.

“No! NO! NOOO! DANKYUN!” I screamed.

This monster took EVERYTHING FROM ME! I shouted at the darkness.

Anger boiled inside of me. The dark fog poured over my entire territory, and Dankyun continued to be under heavy attack from my [Divine Aura]. I even heard it shatter once, but it quickly restored itself.

“NERU AM UR!” I shouted.

<Warning! Skill Locked!>

I didn’t care. I stared at the message and willed the spell to appear. My anger was pouring on the system as well.

Don’t mess with me! I shouted in my mind.

<War-warni-NG! DON’T! Skill Looocoklocked>

The signs were buzzing like the screen of an old television.

My body cracked. Red veins appeared on it, turning the light I emanated from a pure green to a mixed one of red and green.

“What’s this?” said Dankyun surprised.

His armor shattered again.

“Replenish Magic Energy!” he consumed another crystal “Do you really think you can stop this sword!?” said Dankyun a bit angered.

“NERU AM UR!” I shouted and didn’t care about what the message said, I just poured my magic energy, all of it, into that attacked.

<DON’T! We won’t let you! We won’t let you!>

<Don’t!>

<WAR-NINgi>

<D-D-DON’T>

I DON’T CARE! I shouted at the top of my lungs inside my mind, shattering the message windows before me. I could feel it, the spell was unlocked again and forming around me, selecting Dankyun as the one and only target the Infernal Glacier spikes were supposed to kill.

“DIE!” I shouted.

“Die.” said Dankyun as he used another [Dash] in front of Shanteya.

The blade pierced her body and entered my body. In that moment, my spell vanished, my auras vanished as well, and I was pulled into my crystal body.